The pace bowler has taken over 300 dismissals in 71 appearances with an average of 22.10.
The Australian chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that pace spearhead Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming historic rivalry.
Rumors had circulated that the veteran bowler might sit out due to a persistent back stress problem that was still troubling him.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding his involvement, with the Test matches scheduled to begin on 21 November in the WACA.
The selector shared that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that the window is narrowing and multiple considerations around that, not only his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"The outlook is good. There's strong faith that he's going to play a key capacity. With luck from the opening match. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
He was sidelined Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand and India in the previous weeks after scans revealed a stress reaction in his back.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in several earlier campaigns causing him to miss three Australian summers in a short span.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the Ashes.
The selector indicated that there was no confirmation if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his comeback but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Backup Options
If he's unavailable, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
All-rounder Cameron Green was recently pulled out from the national team for their one-day international series against India as a precautionary measure because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "slight concern and confirmed that he'll feature in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "ideally positioned to deliver overs."
"Extensive planning has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the first Test as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"He was only going to play the starting games in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for another day, the choice was made to adopt a safer strategy."
Fixture Details
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
